A ROBBER held a “knife” to a 98-year-old woman’s throat and screamed at her for drug money.

Carly Clough preyed on vulnerable elderly people to steal cash to buy drugs across Basildon.

The 26-year-old carried out two robberies, and stole money and bank cards from four people.

However, in a blunder, she left a bail form with her name and address on at one victim’s house, which led the police to her.

Clough claimed that she became hooked on drugs by a former abusive partner who told her to commit the vile offences in May last year.

The most serious robbery saw her asking for help from the 98-year-old woman, only for her to hold her to the throat with a weapon and scream at her for ten minutes.

Clough was jailed at Basildon Crown Court yesterday. Her spree took place over a two week period from May 4 to 19.

Judge Samantha Cohen said: “On May 19, you want to the 98-year-old woman’s home, you knocked on her door shouting for help. She opened it as she was worried about you, you asked for a glass of water.

“You put your right arm around her shoulder, with a silver instrument. She said it was a knife, you said a screwdriver. It doesn’t matter at all. Whatever it was you held it to her throat and you told her you were going to stab her.

“You held her for ten minutes shouting at her demanding where the money was.

“While you were searching the house she tried to call the police but you took it [the phone] from her and you stole her handbag.

“Later you used one card to take £600 over a number of transactions.”

Judge Cohen detailed how Clough had gone to an 84-year-old man’s home three days earlier on May 16, where she had grabbed a small amount of money from his wallet, but returned for more.

She said: “Two days later you came back and said you were to pay back the money.

“He opened the door because you had cash in your hand.

“You asked him for change, he opened the wallet and you snatched it.

“He grabbed your wrist to try and prevent you escaping, he failed and you left through the kitchen window.

“You left a bail form which had your name and address on it.”

Mitigating, Charlotte Surley said Clough’s former partner had got her addicted to the drugs, and that he had pressured her into the robberies to fund both their habits.

She said: “Going from looking after her children in her own house to quite a lot of unpleasant robberies in a short space of time indicates a significant influence, which the defence say was her partner.”

Judge Cohen said that Clough’s victims had suffered flashbacks to her attacks, and that she had caused “distress and anxiety” and had showed little remorse.

Clough admitted two robberies, four thefts and fraud and was jailed for ten years and eight months.